


On Your Six

by mousouchuu



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Gen, but this is a Sakoda fic, he's relevant, no beta we die like Matsukawa's dignity, okay Sakyo only actually shows up for one line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:46:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24274540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousouchuu/pseuds/mousouchuu
Summary: Izumi notices a strange shadow at the end of the platform, but a certain sidekick steps in to keep her company.Set somewhere around Act 1, Chapter 4.
Relationships: Furuichi Sakyou/Tachibana Izumi, Tachibana Izumi & Sakoda Ken
Comments: 7
Kudos: 73





	On Your Six

“...maybe agreeing to attend the cast party was a bad idea.” Izumi muttered to herself as she stood on the dark platform. Waiting for the last train at one of the worst stations on the line was definitely not the best situation to be in, but everyone in her friend's troupe was already in for the night, and she wasn't about to inconvenience any of the Mankai members who could drive. But that man down the platform kept shooting looks and shuffling a bit closer every few minutes... 

Taking a deep breath, Izumi turned to face the rails, as if ignoring the situation could help her. A rough and cheerful voice rang out from the staircase.  
“Hey, on your six, Boss Lady!”  
Izumi flinched instinctively, but realized what was going on quickly enough.  
“Oh, Sakoda. What brings you out here?” she asked, shaking off her moment of fear.  
“Just business. Probably don't want to know any more than that, ya know?” The eccentrically dressed man seemed at ease in the shadows of the train station. “Hey, since we've never really talked... what's the deal between you and my boss, anyway?”  
The sudden change of topic caught the director off guard. “Eh?! Well, you know how it can be complicated, since he controls the debt, but I still have to direct him as an actor...”  
“Come on, ya know that's not what I'm askin' about. He's always kinda jumpy when it's about you, right? But I can't get any answers.” Sakoda shoved his hands in his pockets as he spoke.  
“Jumpy? No way, he's got it together pretty well.” Izumi was starting to see where he was going with this, but wanted to keep her words carefully guarded around this loudmouth.  
“Oh man, ya don't even know?! When your phone died that one time and everyone was worried, he almost tore me to shreds when I said I saw you earlier.” He turned slightly towards Izumi with the kind of smile that looked as though he remembered that moment fondly. “I guess he really likes ya!”  
Izumi almost lost composure there. “Ha, no way... I'm still that little pain in the ass to him.” Bittersweet emotions flooded her mind. On that day, standing among the audience seats... it was only an act. It had to be.

“Whatcha gettin' at there, Boss Lady? Got history?” Sakoda seemed genuinely curious. He really hadn't heard?  
“Pretty sure I'll turn up dead if I start telling stories. But yeah, we met as kids.”  
The young punk screwed up his face like the gears in his head were really grinding, trying to put the pieces together.  
“Wait, shit, somethin' he said once... that it would all be worth it to meet "that girl" again... it's gotta be you, right?! Doesn't add up any other way.” He practically exploded with the force of the realization. “An' lemme tell ya, he definitely had a thing for that girl, so yeah, he's into you.” How could he grin so casually, like this didn't have the potential to rip the company apart?

Izumi clutched the thin strap of her purse, a red thread... no, a red thread was absolutely not something to think about right now. She stood on the edge of a realization that could break everything she had worked for.  
“You must be misunderstanding something in that story. We're just... we're not...” Izumi sighed. “It's nothing.”  
“Wow, you really are a hamlord. That was a terrible lie.” He paused, then suddenly walked off down the track and into the shadows.

There was some scuffling in the distance, and Sakoda returned looking satisfied.  
“Sorry 'bout that. Noticed the way that guy's been watchin' you. But I took care of it!” The way he said that reminded Izumi of the way a cat might bring home a bird, looking for praise for being a mighty hunter. “Here, gotcha this. Wasn't gonna let him keep it.” He offered a simple pocketknife, thankfully clean. Definitely like bringing home a dead bird.  
“Uh... thanks? I mean, thank you for scaring that guy off, but you don't have to give me his knife.” Izumi held the knife carefully.  
“'Course I did! It's symbolic, doncha think? Just like that knife, I'll protect you! Not just 'cause I've got orders, but you've been good to me.” He left that train of thought partially unfinished as a horn pierced the night air. “Ah, you're headed back to the dorms, right? If it's alright, can I make sure you get back safe?”  
The careful choice of words didn't escape Izumi. This was a new, gentler side of someone she had only known as loud. But... he had orders to protect her? No, that wasn't a question to answer right now.  
“Thank you, that's a kind offer. I wasn't really expecting that.” Her response was as much as she could express, given the other thoughts running through her head.  
“Aah, it's nothin'. Boss would skin me alive if he knew I ran into you this late and didn't get you there safe, right?” That last word echoed in her mind. Right? Was it that expected?  
“Oiiiiiii. Earth to the Director. Let's go.” Gently, he tapped her shoulder and gestured at the train's open door. 

The trip home was quiet. Izumi didn't know what to say, and her bizarre protector was making that thinking face again.  
“Hey, Autumn won't be up for a while, right?” Sakoda broke the silence with a question.  
“Well, Winter is still a work in progress, so yeah, they're on backup with the other two groups. Why?”  
“Just thinkin' about what I'll need to do. Bit out of the way, but I can make it work.” His cryptic response left the director concerned.  
“Do I want to know what you're on about?” She asked.  
“Don't worry 'bout it. I'm a great wingman, so it's all gonna turn out fine!” His response didn't actually answer the question, but-  
“What does your wingman skill have anything to do with-” Izumi stopped, realizing she was now standing at the open front door of the dorms.  
“Hey, I said don't worry 'bout it! She's all yours, Boss!” With a final exclamation, Sakoda turned around and slammed the door behind him.

Izumi was left standing in the entry, openly baffled. Sakyo looked up from the book he was reading.  
“Welcome home.”


End file.
